Verbs · 하다 word

생각하다 conjugation

to think · saenggakada · sounds like [생가카다]

Short answer: “To think” in Korean is 생각하다 (saenggakada). Polite present: 생각해요 (saenggakaeyo); past: 생각했어요 (saenggakaesseoyo); future: 생각할 거예요. It is a 하다 verb: 하 + 아/어 always becomes 해.

Present생각해요[생가캐요] · saenggakaeyo
Past생각했어요[생가캐써요] · saenggakaesseoyo
Future생각할 거예요[생가칼 꺼예요] · saenggakal geoyeyo
Negative생각 안 해요[생각 안 해요] · saenggak an haeyo

Note: with noun + 하다 verbs, 안 and 못 go before 하다 — 생각 안 해요, not 안 생각해요.

생각하다 in sentences

어떻게 생각해요?What do you think?
다시 생각해 볼게요.I’ll think about it again.

All forms of 생각하다

Present
Polite (해요) is the everyday safe choice; formal (합니다) is for news, announcements and work; casual (반말) is for close friends and younger people.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-아/어요	생각해요	[생가캐요]	saenggakaeyo
formal-(스)ㅂ니다	생각합니다	[생가캄니다]	saenggakamnida
casual-아/어	생각해	[생가캐]	saenggakae
plain (written)-(느)ㄴ다	생각한다	[생가칸다]	saenggakanda
formal question-(스)ㅂ니까?	생각합니까?	[생가캄니까]	saenggakamnikka?
is …ing (polite)-고 있어요	생각하고 있어요	[생가카고 이써요]	saenggakago isseoyo

Past
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite-았/었어요	생각했어요	[생가캐써요]	saenggakaesseoyo
formal-았/었습니다	생각했습니다	[생가캗씀니다]	saenggakaetseumnida
casual-았/었어	생각했어	[생가캐써]	saenggakaesseo
plain (written)-았/었다	생각했다	[생가캗따]	saenggakaetda

Future
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
polite — will-(으)ㄹ 거예요	생각할 거예요	[생가칼 꺼예요]	saenggakal geoyeyo
formal-(으)ㄹ 겁니다	생각할 겁니다	[생가칼 껌니다]	saenggakal geomnida
casual-(으)ㄹ 거야	생각할 거야	[생가칼 꺼야]	saenggakal geoya
formal — I will (intention)-겠습니다	생각하겠습니다	[생가카겓씀니다]	saenggakagetseumnida

Negative
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
not (short)안 …	생각 안 해요	[생각 안 해요]	saenggak an haeyo
did not안 …았/었어요	생각 안 했어요	[생각 안 해써요]	saenggak an haesseoyo
not (long)-지 않아요	생각하지 않아요	[생가카지 아나요]	saenggakaji anayo
cannot못 …	생각 못 해요	[생강 모태요]	saenggak mot haeyo

Honorific
Add -(으)시- when the subject is someone you respect (a teacher, a customer, an older person) — not yourself.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
honorific — present-(으)세요	생각하세요	[생가카세요]	saenggakaseyo
honorific — past-(으)셨어요	생각하셨어요	[생가카셔써요]	saenggakasyeosseoyo
honorific — formal-(으)십니다	생각하십니다	[생가카심니다]	saenggakasimnida

Requests
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
please …-(으)세요	생각하세요	[생가카세요]	saenggakaseyo
please … (for me)-아/어 주세요	생각해 주세요	[생가캐 주세요]	saenggakae juseyo
please don’t …-지 마세요	생각하지 마세요	[생가카지 마세요]	saenggakaji maseyo
let’s … (formal)-(으)ㅂ시다	생각합시다	[생가캅씨다]	saenggakapsida
let’s … (casual)-자	생각하자	[생가카자]	saenggakaja
do … ! (casual command)-아/어라	생각해라	[생가캐라]	saenggakaera

Connecting
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
… and-고	생각하고	[생가카고]	saenggakago
… so / and then-아/어서	생각해서	[생가캐서]	saenggakaeseo
if …-(으)면	생각하면	[생가카면]	saenggakamyeon
… but-지만	생각하지만	[생가카지만]	saenggakajiman
because …-(으)니까	생각하니까	[생가카니까]	saenggakanikka
… and / but (background)-는데	생각하는데	[생가카는데]	saenggakaneunde
even if …-아/어도	생각해도	[생가캐도]	saenggakaedo
while …-(으)면서	생각하면서	[생가카면서]	saenggakamyeonseo
in order to …-(으)려고	생각하려고	[생가카려고]	saenggakaryeogo
(go) to …-(으)러	생각하러	[생가카러]	saenggakareo
before …-기 전에	생각하기 전에	[생가카기 저네]	saenggakagi jeone
after …-(으)ㄴ 후에	생각한 후에	[생가칸 후에]	saenggakan hue

Describing a noun
These go before a noun: “the food (that) I ate”, “a cold day”.
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
(that) … now-는	생각하는	[생가카는]	saenggakaneun
(that) …ed-(으)ㄴ	생각한	[생가칸]	saenggakan
(that) will …-(으)ㄹ	생각할	[생가칼]	saenggakal

Useful patterns
Form	Korean	Sounds like	Romanized
I want to …-고 싶어요	생각하고 싶어요	[생가카고 시퍼요]	saenggakago sipeoyo
can …-(으)ㄹ 수 있어요	생각할 수 있어요	[생가칼 쑤 이써요]	saenggakal su isseoyo
cannot …-(으)ㄹ 수 없어요	생각할 수 없어요	[생가칼 쑤 업써요]	saenggakal su eopseoyo
have to …-아/어야 해요	생각해야 해요	[생가캐야 해요]	saenggakaeya haeyo
may … / it’s OK to …-아/어도 돼요	생각해도 돼요	[생가캐도 돼요]	saenggakaedo dwaeyo
must not …-(으)면 안 돼요	생각하면 안 돼요	[생가카면 안 돼요]	saenggakamyeon an dwaeyo
…ing (noun)-기	생각하기	[생가카기]	saenggakagi

How 생각하다 changes

Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 생각해요, 생각했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 생각합니다, 생각하면.

How every verb type works → · Why it sounds like that →

Questions

How do you say “think” in Korean?

“To think” is 생각하다 (saenggakada), pronounced [생가카다]. In a sentence: 어떻게 생각해요? — What do you think?

What is the past tense of 생각하다?

생각했어요 (saenggakaesseoyo) is the polite past tense of 생각하다 (“to think”). Formal: 생각했습니다; casual: 생각했어.

How do you say 생각하다 politely?

Everyday polite: 생각해요 (saenggakaeyo). Formal: 생각합니다. Casual, with close friends: 생각해.

How do you say “I want to think” in Korean?

생각하고 싶어요 (saenggakago sipeoyo), pronounced [생가카고 시퍼요].

Is 생각하다 irregular?

No. Every 하다 word works the same way: 하 + 여 becomes 해 → 생각해요, 생각했어요. With other endings 하 stays as it is: 생각합니다, 생각하면.

More 하다 words like 생각하다

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Forms follow 한글 맞춤법 (Korean spelling rules); pronunciation follows 표준 발음법 and romanization follows 국어의 로마자 표기법 (Revised Romanization). Last updated October 16, 2026. How we check